UNIS/SGSM/1299
9 February 2023
On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we highlight a simple equation: More women and girls in science equals better science.
Women and girls bring diversity to research, expand the pool of science professionals, and provide fresh perspectives to science and technology, benefiting everyone.
There is growing evidence that gender bias in science is leading to worse outcomes, from drug tests that treat the female body as an aberration, to search algorithms that perpetuate bias and discrimination.
Yet in too many places around the world, women and girls’ access to education is limited or denied completely.
As women look to progress in scientific careers, inequalities and discrimination continue to thwart their potential.
Women make up under a third of the workforce across science, technology, engineering, and maths and even less in cutting edge fields. Just one in five professionals working on Artificial Intelligence is a woman.
We must – and we can – do more to promote women and girl scientists:
Through scholarships, internships, and training programmes that provide a platform to succeed.
Through quotas, retention incentives, and mentorship programmes that help women overcome entrenched hurdles and build a career.
And crucially, by affirming women’s rights and breaking down stereotypes, biases, and structural barriers.
We can all do our part to unleash our world’s enormous untapped talent – starting with filling classrooms, laboratories, and boardrooms with women scientists.
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"The ocean is the foundation of life. It supplies the air we breathe and food we eat. It regulates our climate and weather. The ocean is our planet’s greatest reservoir of biodiversity. Its resources sustain communities, prosperity and human health around the world. Humanity counts on the ocean. But can the ocean count on us?" — António Guterres
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have launched a new database listing current and past projects from space agencies in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) have announced their collaboration under the Space Law for New Space Actors project.
The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, will brief the media following an Executive Briefing to Member States at the Vienna International Centre. Mr Lazzarini will share updates on the challenges faced in UNRWA’s five fields of operations, including the impact of recurrent financial constraints on the lives of Palestine refugees.
